


Duty

by beaglesinbowties (Girlblunder)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drama, F/F, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8869108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlblunder/pseuds/beaglesinbowties
Summary: With J'onn off on a secret mission, Lucy's left in charge of the DEO. Things go great - until they don't.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Commissioned by Scrofanaught on tumblr. She's super sweet, and this idea is all hers. :)

* * *

Lucy’s face is calm as she makes her bed, folding the corners tightly out of habit. She’d never stopped trying to make the neat corners, a fact that James had teased her about for the entirety of their time living together.

They didn’t live together now.

Though Lucy has been out of the military for some time, she finds the routine soothing. James had never understood, but for Lucy it had never just been about her life in the army. She’d grown up with General Lane as a father, and he’d been proud the first time she’d made up her rack with pristine hospital corners. Though her father wasn’t perfect, he’d tried his best to find ways to connect with a mourning eight year old daughter that had always been closer to her mother; it’s something Lucy will always appreciate, no matter their differences.

The old practice is needed today, because her mind is racing as she considers the possible outcomes of J’onn’s announcement.

_“Are you sure about this, J’onn? You were_ just _reinstated.” Lucy frowns at him. They’ve only been working together a few weeks, but Lucy already feels like he’s family. Her father would not approve of the sentiment._

_J’onn smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’m not leaving indefinitely, but I’ve got to do this right. You’re an excellent leader, and I know our people are in good hands while I’m away.” He pauses and brings a hand up to rest on her shoulder. “You’ve got this, Director Lane.”_

_And Lucy wants to argue. She’s good at it, has been her whole life. However, this is nothing she and J’onn haven’t already discussed plenty over the last week. His Martian sense of honor will not allow him to rest until he’s repaid his life-debt to Jeremiah Danvers._

_She purses her lips and crosses her arms. “You’d better check in when you can, Director J’onnz. That’s an order.”_

_He gives her a wink. “Yes ma’am.”_

Lucy stops and stares at the neatly made bed, having finished without really thinking about what she’d been doing. It’s as perfectly neat as always.

She sucks in a breath and continues with her morning routine. There’s still an hour before she’s due at the DEO for J’onn’s briefing.

*

“Wow,” Kara says some time later as the gathered DEO agents disperse, “I didn’t think he’d ever take time off. And a sabbatical? I didn’t know anyone at the DEO could do that.”

Lucy schools her features into a neutral expression. “He’s been running for hundreds of years, I think he’s earned time away.”

The words aren’t difficult to say because they’re true, though she knows J’onn will be doing anything but taking it easy. She wishes his plans were different. She likes J’onn.

“You’re so right,” Kara says as she turns to offer Lucy a bright smile. “I’m going to go steal him away from Alex for a sec. I think I can sneak in a hug.”

Lucy smiles reflexively, though her heart lurches when she realizes that she’ll have to lie to her people over the next weeks or months it takes for J’onn to infiltrate Cadmus. Her eyes find Kara and Alex, who are both smiling at J’onn.

She doesn’t want to lie to them. She hates lies.

_“You can’t tell them. Alex will want to come along, and then Kara will follow. I need to keep this as quiet as possible so neither they nor Jeremiah are hurt.” J’onn looks grim, his lips pursed into a thin line and a furrow between his eyebrows._

_Lucy gets it, she does. She knows more about Cadmus than anyone else at the DEO, though that still isn’t much. “J’onn…”_

_“Promise me, Lucy,” J’onn insists softly._

_Her nostrils flare and she wants to make a sharp comment. “Fine,” she says instead._

Unfortunately, Lucy always keeps her promises. It’s not the first time she’s upset at herself for that. She _hates_ having to lie to keep a promise.

*****

The first couple of weeks go easily. Lucy had been in charge alone for a while before J’onn had been reinstated, and at least the agents know her.

“I need those results, Vasquez,” Lucy commands as she monitors the command screen. They’re still unsure if the entity causing a ruckus downtown is an alien or a metahuman. There have been several incidents involving the same unknown subject several times in the last week and a half, and despite the mess left behind at each scene, they still don’t know what they’re dealing with.

“I understand, ma’am, but the team is doing their best to be careful since the last several samples were somehow corrupted.” Vasquez’s hands are moving furiously as she alternately types and flicks at her control panel. If the tightness of her jaw is anything to go by, she’s less than pleased with Lucy’s impatience.

Supergirl zooms onto the scene, and Lucy almost smiles at the traffic cam footage. At least Kara has been able to reduce the destruction; her arrival always sends the subject back into hiding.

“Make sure the forensic team is _actually_ careful this time when they’re collecting samples,” Lucy says sharply once Supergirl has done her work and the scene is clear. Intellectually she knows that Vasquez isn’t responsible for the mistakes, but she’s frustrated.

“Yes, ma’am.” Vasquez’s words are crisp, not unlike her perfectly straight posture.

Lucy ends up walking away soon after that, knowing her hovering won’t make everything right. She isn’t sure how long she’s been walking when she spots a friendly face. Her mood immediately lightens when she notices Supergirl strolling down the long corridor that connects the main areas of the facility.

“Don’t worry,” Kara says as soon as they’re in speaking distance, “Alex is personally overseeing the sample collection this time. She thinks the alien or metahuman we’re facing has a reaction to our gathering materials, so she has some alternatives set up to be safe.”

“Thanks,” Lucy says with a smile, her tense shoulders easing. “Am I that easy to figure out?”

Kara leans over to gently bump their arms together. “Kinda, but I think we’ve all gotten a little frustrated with this one. With J’onn gone, I think we all kind of want to do him proud.”

Lucy nods and isn’t surprised when Kara begins walking along with her. “I want him to know we can handle everything while he’s away,” Lucy admits.

“Alex and I feel the same. Don’t worry, Lucy.”

Not for the first time, Lucy is grateful to have the Danvers sisters on her side. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Kara stops walking for a moment. Lucy only takes half a step past her before she’s stopping to look back at Kara.

“I’m glad you’re here too,” Kara says after a moment. She reaches forward to gently squeeze Lucy’s wrist.

Lucy can only bob her head, hoping that Kara isn’t currently focusing with her super hearing. Lucy’s pulse is racing because she hadn’t been expecting the contact, that’s all. “I, um, maybe I could take you out for drinks later. You and Alex, I mean,” Lucy hurries to correct.

Kara’s eyes and nose crinkle up adorably with her smile. “I’d love that, and I’m sure Alex would too.”

“Great. I’ll ask her once she gets back.” Lucy smiles back at Kara, and then they start walking down the corridor again. They continue on in a comfortable silence for some time.

*****

With Alex’s full attention, the case of the metahuman is solved in a matter of days. The DEO forensics team hadn’t been at fault, and only their previous failures had helped Alex figure out the volatile nature of both the person’s mind and abilities.

Lucy is glad when the DEO captures the subject, codename UKMC17-0382, and delivers them to the metahuman prison. Their gender and previous identity are unknown, but Lucy is assured that the proper authorities will help them recover.

“I’m glad your friend was able to build that facility so quickly,” Lucy says as she relaxes back into her bench seat.

“Well, yeah, but I know that the staff didn’t appear there magically.” Kara tilts her head, a small smile on her face. “I didn’t think the government could move that quickly. Isn’t there usually a ton of bureaucracy involved?”

Lucy looks away, glad her tan hides the faint flush to her cheeks. “The government knows when moving quickly is for the best interest of the people,” she says rather than admitting she’d exerted an enormous amount of pressure on her father and a few of his military friends to get the building funded and staffed.

She manages to reign her embarrassment under control - really, it doesn’t make sense why she feels so bashful around Kara - and yet when she looks at Kara, Lucy’s certain that Kara _knows_.

Rather than ask about it, she picks up her whiskey and takes a careful sip. “Alex _is_ coming tonight, right?”

This will be their third night out all together. They normally don’t do more than share a few drinks and some unhealthy food, but the time has done wonders for Lucy’s stress levels. J’onn isn’t checking in with her nearly as much as she would like.

“Yeah, she--” Kara straightens and waves, a grin on her face. “Alex!”

Lucy half-turns in her seat. Alex’s hands are tucked into the pockets of her dark jeans, her usual leather jacket still on.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alex says as she approaches, “Vasquez had some reports for me to look over.”

“Anything I need to know about?” Lucy peers around for their waiter, wondering when the stuffed potato skins will be arriving. She almost misses the look Alex and Kara share as Alex takes her seat - next to Kara, of course.

When they both remain quiet, Lucy frowns. She focuses on them entirely.

For their part, Alex and Kara seem to be holding a silent conversation through facial expression.

Lucy sits back and waits, feeling cautious.

Alex purses her lips and sighs, shaking her head slightly before facing Lucy. “Maybe.”

“I think you should,” Kara adds when Alex is less than forthcoming.

The serious looks on their faces makes Lucy straighten. She’s glad she’s still on her first drink.

“A while back ago, J’onn and I were going to try and find Cadmus, but by the time we were able to clear things up post Myriad, the trail had run cold. He and I were looking into some other things wh--”

Lucy crisply holds up a hand, a deep frown on her face. “I need to stop you there, Alex. This isn’t the appropriate time or place for a discussion like this.”

Alex returns her frown. “J’onn and I were trying to keep this off-book.”

“With good reason, Alex.” Lucy glances around their table. She leans in and lowers her voice. “That facility operates under the same black budget the DEO does. It’s government sanctioned, and honestly more of the military bigwigs support their program than the efforts of the DEO.”

“But,” Kara also leans in and lowers her voice once she realizes she’s spoken too loudly, “the DEO has actually _saved_ so many people.”

“Doesn’t matter to them, Kara,” Alex snaps out, still slouched back against her seat, “not when there’s so many _other_ threats out and about they think we still might be in danger from.” Her eyes are hard. It’s clear she knows exactly what the government thinks of aliens, even ones not unlike Kara and Clark.

There’s a moment when Lucy understands that she’ll probably have to do something she won’t like, but she pushes the notion away. For now, she’s just being cautious. “You can bring me whatever Vasquez has found tomorrow. I’ll look it over.”

Kara grins and almost bounces in her seat. “See? I told you telling her would be a good idea.”

“Yeah.” Alex still looks slightly disgruntled, but she offers Lucy a half-smile. “Where’s my drink?”

It’s all Lucy can do not to look at Kara. She can’t stand to look her friend in the face knowing what she might have to do. She forces a smile and decides to enjoy the night as best as she can.

*

The next day as she’s reading through Vasquez’s report, it doesn’t take Lucy long to understand that she _is_ going to have to do something drastic. Though the report isn’t much - traces of minerals and chemicals found at the abandoned Cadmus site - Lucy is well aware that an agent as enterprising as Alex could use it to hunt down one of the current Cadmus facilities.

It feels like there’s lead in her stomach as she makes the first call. By the time she’s made it to the third, there’s loud footsteps pounding toward her door.

Lucy has a few moments to end the call and brace herself before a wild-eyed Alex is in her office, face hard with betrayal and clenched fists at her sides.

“Some of my research was just put behind a higher security clearance rank, a rank which I seem to not possess. When I went to ask Vasquez about it, she informed me that all investigations need to be cleared by the director before any resources may be used on them. That includes Vasquez’s expertise and knowledge.” There is no hint of a question in Alex’s delivery, which is wholly accusatory.

“You were pursuing a line of investigation which does not fall under the purview of the DEO,” Lucy explains flatly. “I believe in the work we do here, and we are only able to continue doing it as long as we stick to the parameters the DEO was officially founded under.”

“J’onn understood the reasons why we needed to do this.” Alex clenches her teeth. “I knew we couldn’t trust you.”

Lucy’s nostrils flare. “J’onn put this entire department at risk by allowing his personal feelings and attachments dictate the course of operations. While he is only on sabbatical, I _will_ do my best to keep this agency intact for the greater good.”

Though Lucy does mostly believe what she’s said, it’s anger that has her trying to put Alex in her place. Not just for Alex’s irreverence for authority, but for J’onn and how she’s been forced into a position that she must, again, put duty before all else.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Director Lane.” Alex gives her a last hard look, and then Lucy is again alone in her office.

She takes a few shaky breaths. Her only comfort is that Kara hadn’t been around to witness the exchange.

Her hand trembles as she reaches out again for the phone, but she steadies herself as she keys in the code necessary to leave this particular message. “J’onn, there’s been a new development. I need you to call me when you can.”

*

Some hours later when Lucy’s doing her usual walkabout of the DEO facility, she’s startled to find herself standing across from Supergirl.

“Supergirl,” she greets formally. Lucy is under no delusion that Alex hasn’t already spoken to Kara.

“Lucy,” Kara says after a short hesitation.

Something loosens in Lucy’s chest. Kara is subdued, but not standoffish. She takes a breath. “If you’re going to be angry with me, I think we should head back to my office.”

The words said in half-jest seem to work just right, and then Kara’s giving her a small smile.

“I’m not exactly mad, but could we talk about it?”

A part of Lucy wants to say no. Things will be difficult until J’onn is back, and she’ll probably have to say and do more things in order to keep his secret. It would be better if Lucy just lets her new friendship with Kara stall here, but…

Kara looks so genuinely concerned.

Lucy doesn’t think she’s ever met anyone quite like Kara: genuine and good, sweet and caring, open and honest, and a hundred other things Lucy will probably never be able to put into words. Once Lucy had realized that James had a crush on Kara, she’d immediately understood. Maybe, she’d even admitted she had her own little crush. Never out loud.

“There’s not much I can say.” Lucy swallows. “I know it might not seem great, but if you could just trust me...I know it’s not easy. I know it seems impossible for Alex, but I’m not doing this out of spite or anything, Kara. I’m just trying to keep everyone safe.”

Kara looks at her steadily. She nods slowly. “Okay. I trust you.”

The words pass like a jolt of electricity through Lucy, spreading tingles through her limbs. “Thank you.”

“What are friends for?” Kara bites her lip and glances away. She sucks in a slow breath and lets it out. “But, Lucy? Secrets aren’t a good thing. I know you hate lies, and secrets are only a stone’s throw away from that. We _are_ your friends, and you _can_ trust us. Just keep that in mind.”

“I do feel for Alex, Kara. I do. I can’t imagine being in her position. There’s just…a lot going on right now. I hope you can be understanding for a while longer.” Lucy finds that the worst part of it all is that she _does_ hope for exactly that. She doesn’t want her relationship with Kara irreparably damaged.

Kara nods, and then her hands settle on her hips. “You want to walk around for a bit? I know it helps you relax.”

Lucy bites the inside of her cheek. J’onn needs to call her back, ASAP. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

They’ve only taken a few steps when she has to ask. “On a scale of one to murder, how angry is Alex with me?”

“Um.” Kara laughs nervously and tucks some hair behind her ear. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about that.”

*****

“What do you mean, not yet?” Lucy reaches up to massage her forehead. A headache is threatening to throb into being. It had taken days for the call to come through, and she’d been more than a little tense waiting.

“ _You heard me. He still cannot be safely extracted. They’ve been using him as a font of information, but I think they’re looking for something, or someone, specific. We’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, but we’re_ not ready yet _, Lucy_.”

Lucy’s hand tightens around the phone. She can hear the weariness in J’onn’s voice. She knows he’s not making her do this for any other reason than he believes it to be the best way. After seeing how Alex acts in the field when personal matters are involved, Lucy silently agrees that maybe he’s right.

Barging in on Cadmus wouldn’t be a solution, nor would simply spiriting Jeremiah away. He’d live a life on the run, rather than being able to return to the one he’d been forced away from. Long term, their patience and caution will pay off.

Lucy just needs to remind herself of that. “Is there anything I can do on my end?”

There’s a noticeable pause over the line, and Lucy worries that J’onn has disconnected the call. “ _There is, actually. Jeremiah and I have come to believe the person or object they might be after could actually already be in DEO custody_.”

He continues speaking and Lucy nods along, though she doesn’t take notes. Perhaps she’s being paranoid, but she prefers to think of it as being careful. A secure line only goes so far.

The call ends abruptly not long after that, and Lucy’s mind races as she considers how she might be able to slowly help J’onn and Jeremiah identify what they’re looking for. She can’t ask anyone else to help because she needs to minimize any potential red flags to keep Cadmus ignorant of their efforts.

Her stomach roils but she smooths a hand over it. This won’t last forever.

*

“When is J’onn coming back, do you think?” Kara asks the next day when they’re doing one of their walkabouts.

It takes an enormous amount of effort for Lucy not to visibly react. “Dunno. Have you and Alex been talking to him?”

“A little,” Kara says with a sigh as she leans against one of the consoles in the communications room. “Not as much as we’d like. Alex is worried.”

“I get that.” Lucy does, though she’s glad Alex isn’t around. Things have definitely been tense between them. Even Vasquez has been exceptionally formal around Lucy, but Lucy can’t afford to feel offended.

It helps that Kara is still speaking to her about more than work.

She clears her throat. “Was that the only reason you were asking?”

Kara purses her lips. “No,” she admits after a moment.

“Well?” Lucy prompts when Kara stops speaking.

Still, Kara doesn’t respond immediately. Instead she looks away, seemingly gathering her courage. “I was thinking about Fort Rozz, and how we already have a bunch of those aliens still locked up here. And then I was thinking about the professor, and how he’d more than spent his time back in the Phantom Zone. And...and I was wondering how many more people we have locked up that have already done their time.”

“And...what? If they have, you want us to just...release them?” Lucy’s mind races. They could inadvertently release the alien or entity that Cadmus is after.

“Yes,” Kara affirms with a concerned look.

“I’m sorry, Kara, but I can’t do that.” Lucy’s face is grim. She knows this is not the answer Kara wants. When she looks at Kara, it’s worse than she could have imagined.

It’s not anger, fury, or even disappointment on Kara’s face.

It’s _hurt_ , pure and simple.

“Wouldn’t want anymore aliens running around, now would we?” Kara asks in a shaking voice. There’s tears in her eyes. “I forgot, people only matter around here if they’re _human_.”

“Kara--”

But before Lucy can try finding some way to explain herself, Kara’s gone.

Lucy clenches her fists, her own eyes stinging. “Damn super speed.”

Kara will understand eventually. She’s got to.

*

A week passes with Lucy trying her best to explain herself to Kara. Only, Kara doesn’t want to be around Lucy.

“You might be my commanding officer,” Alex says one day as they’re heading out to their respective vehicles, “but off hours, you’re nobody to me. Leave my sister alone, Lane.”

Lucy doesn’t have to ask if it’s a threat. In truth, she’s half expected some sort of warning from Alex. It’s unsurprising that such a warning had come when Lucy had hurt Kara. It’s one of the things Lucy has loved about the Danvers sisters, their unwavering loyalty to each other.

She doesn’t respond, but her eyes briefly meet Alex’s.

The message is received, but not in the way Alex might hope. Lucy has never done well with intimidation tactics, not since she was five years old and she’d punched Billy for threatening to push her off a swing. Her dad had grounded her for a week, but there’d been a proud tilt to his chin. She straightens her shoulders.

When Lucy gets into her car, she doesn’t take the route home.

*

“Kara,” Lucy says to the closed door. “I know you’re home. Please, just hear me out for five minutes. If you never want to see me outside of the DEO again after that, I promise I’ll leave you alone.”

She waits, but no sound is forthcoming - especially not the clicking of the metal locks being undone. Her shoulders slump.

The door opens, startling Lucy from her maudlin thoughts.

“Five minutes,” Kara says brusquely as she crosses her arms.

It’s been a while since Lucy has seen her in street clothes.

Lucy takes in the soft grey cardigan and messy bun with a pounding heart. Kara looks adorable and beautiful all at once. “I can’t release those people,” she blurts out first. “Not right now, not for a while. I’m not sure when I might be able to. There’s a lot at stake. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true. It’s not because I think they’re not people, Kara. I need you to know that.”

Kara’s face remains stony.

Lucy licks her lips and fumbles with the inside pocket of her coat. “Look, I haven’t found anyone ready for release yet, but I’ve made notes of ones whose sentences _should_ be running out soon according to the sentences imposed by your mother. I’m only about a quarter of the way through of my evaluations, though.”

She’s not embarrassed that the hand holding up the now unfolded piece of paper is shaking.

Kara frowns and reaches out for the paper, her eyes darting back and forth as she reads the list of names with short information about their crimes and sentences attached.

Lucy doesn’t mind when the paper is pulled from her grip. Her chest feels tight and breathing is difficult as she waits for some kind of response.

“You’ve been looking into them?” Kara asks softly. She hasn’t looked up yet, but Lucy feels something akin to hope begin to ease her anxiety.

“Yes.” Lucy had needed to look at those names for J’onn anyway, but not at the rate she’d been consuming them. That had been for Kara.

She’d thought she could handle having Kara not speaking to her, but...she’s missed their walks - the goofy grin on Kara’s face when she gets sidetracked by something decidedly _not_ related to their work. She’s missed the warm tingles that spread through her arm when it accidentally brushes Kara’s. She’s missed seeing Kara smile, just for her.

Kara’s fingertips brush over the names. She glances up at Lucy with narrowed eyes. “Does this have anything to do with why you won’t let Alex look into Cadmus?”

Lucy hadn’t been ready for Kara to make the connection, and she knows the moment Kara understands that there _is_ something larger at work. She doesn’t say anything.

“Or why J’onn hasn’t been calling enough…” Kara adds, her voice trailing off thoughtfully. “The timing, it’s just too coincidental. Alex is too angry with you to think about it for more than a few minutes.”

“You’re not angry with me?” Lucy asks in lieu of responding directly to the rest of Kara’s conclusions.

Kara gives her a steady look. “I was. A little bit.” She rolls her lips together and glances downward briefly. “Why don’t you come in for a minute?”

Lucy’s heart is pounding again. “I can’t discuss anything in depth, Kara. I can’t confirm or deny or otherwise respond to your conclusions,” she says carefully.

And Kara’s head tilts. There’s a smile on her face, small and just for Lucy. “I know.”

Lucy steps forward when Kara opens the door wider.

*****

A month passes, slowly and painfully for Lucy. Though she and Kara have been sharing their usual walks, Lucy has felt every day as an ominous passage of time. Kara’s patience and understanding will surely run out. Then Lucy will be alone, again.

Except, it doesn’t. And Lucy isn’t.

For whatever reason, Kara is content to plod along at her side.

She thinks that Kara has maybe even said something to Alex, who will at least address her respectfully again during briefings.

Her own research is complete, and her list has its first two candidates for release. She’d sent a different collection of the data to J’onn some weeks ago, but her hope in that matter being resolved is slim.

J’onn’s calls have become even more sporadic than before, and tensions are rising at the DEO. There’s mutterings of conspiracy, though there’s been no open comments tossed Lucy’s way.

She figures out that Kara’s unwavering faith has been keeping the agents in line by accident from Vasquez, who has slowly warmed up to Lucy again.

Lucy could do this without Kara. She could. She’d just have to be more like her father, and less like the woman she really wants to be. Less like the woman she’s proud to be around Kara. She doesn’t delve into the reasons why of that, only grateful that she _can_ be someone she’s proud of.

“Kara,” she says one day as they’re heading to the break room. They’ve been walking for a while, and Kara’s due for a snack. “You’re something special, you know that?”

Kara grins and chuckles, tossing her hair slightly to one side. “Lucy Lane, I swear you just like making me blush.”

Lucy returns her grin and shrugs her shoulders. “It’s more about your smile,” she admits without thinking.

The light flush on Kara’s cheeks becomes darker. She licks her lips, and just as she’s about to say something back to Lucy, there’s a commotion at the central communications hub.

“Director Lane, ma’am! There’s something you’ve got to see!” comes Vasquez’s urgent voice as it echoes down the corridor.

Lucy and Kara share a glance before rushing to the hub.

They’re not the only ones roused by Vasquez, and Lucy doesn’t miss the look Alex and Kara share as they all arrive to peer up at the largest monitor.

“J’onn,” Lucy murmurs with a thumping heart. He’s not alone.

It only takes a few moments for them to arrive, and then Lucy is stunned into immobility when Alex is rushing towards J’onn.

And Jeremiah Danvers.

Kara isn’t far behind Alex, and they’re both crying as they envelop Jeremiah into a hug. J’onn stands off to one side grinning, until an insistent hand (Kara’s, of course) pulls him into the circle.

Lucy’s throat is thick as she watches the reunion, but she’s smiling. Every pained moment of secrecy is worth this moment. She clears her throat and blinks away a sheen of tears. “Well don’t gawk at them, people. We’ve got work to do.”

She’s about to slip away back to her office, feeling enough like a voyeur for witnessing what should have been a private moment, when J’onn stops her with a hand.

“Lucy,” he says in an affectionate voice, “your assistance was invaluable. You kept the girls safe, and you got us the data we needed. We couldn’t have done this without you.”

And Lucy doesn’t do what she does for accolades. She doesn’t. But the look on J’onn’s face brings the thickness back to her throat.

Thankfully, the moment is ruined when Alex punches her on the arm. _Hard_.

“Don’t assault your commanding officer,” J’onn chides. It’s obvious he’s trying not to laugh.

“Jerk,” Alex says with narrowed eyes, “you knew what he was up to.”

“Don’t blame her, Alex. I ordered her not to tell you. Made her promise, even.” J’onn braces a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex blinks rapidly, and it’s obvious she’s trying to stop another flood of tears. “Yeah, well, you’re a jerk too,” she mumbles.

Jeremiah laughs, a rich sound that makes Alex’s head turn.

He’s been speaking lowly with Kara, one arm slung over her shoulder, and he raises the other once Alex turns to join them.

“We need to tell your mom soon,” Jeremiah says, his eyes seeming almost permanently crinkled from joy.

“Definitely,” Alex says. She’s staring up at her dad with something akin to hero worship, though the look doesn’t fade when she glances over to J’onn.

“Yeah,” Kara adds, “just a sec, though.”

Kara moves forward so that she’s standing directly in front of Lucy, a serious look on her face.

“Lucy,” she begins stiffly.

Lucy is truly and utterly surprised when warm hands cup her face, and then she’s forgetting everything but how utterly soft Kara’s lips are.

Her eyes remain closed as the kiss ends, and she’s grinning. She can feel Kara’s lips, still so close to her own. More kisses are tempting.

Behind them, Alex makes a gagging noise. “Dad, make them stop.”

Lucy laughs, feeling light headed when Kara pulls her into a hug and brushes another kiss to the side of her face.

“This isn’t the end of this, Lucy Lane,” Kara whispers.

“Oh, you’ve got that right, Kara Danvers.”

Lucy has to bite her lip at the look of adoration she receives. It’s worth the endless hours of teasing she’ll receive for kissing Kara so publicly - and much more than that, still.


End file.
